Animals: those that are not, and those that will not be. Animals: those that are not, and those that will not be Influence of universe species
Over the past ten thousand years, human impact on the environment has led to the extinction of many beautiful animals. In this article, you will get acquainted with the facts about ten interesting creatures that have already disappeared. Animals died out en masse in two stages, the first was about ten thousand years ago, and the second - five hundred years ago. Many small animals died out each time, but incredible large creatures attract attention much more. Approximate date of its death is added to each extinct species.
These extinct giants once lived throughout northern Europe. They have little in common with currently existing moose species, which is why they are more commonly referred to as "giant deer". These animals could reach a two-meter span at the shoulders and weighed seven centners. They had large horns several meters wide. They appeared four hundred thousand years ago and disappeared five thousand years ago. Most likely, the hunters became the reason. However, it is also possible that the disappearance of ice led to the emergence of other plants, which caused a shortage of essential minerals. For example, for the growth of such impressive horns, a lot of calcium is required.
Quagga, 1883
Half zebra, half horse, this creature was a subspecies of the zebra that appeared about two hundred thousand years ago. They died out in the nineteenth century. Quaggas lived in South Africa and got their name because of the sound they produced, according to the onomatopic principle. They were destroyed in 1883 in order to acquire land for agriculture.
Japanese wolf, 1905
These wolves lived on several Japanese islands. It was the rarest species of the family, only a meter long and with a small shoulder span. When rabies appeared on the islands, the wolf population began to decline dramatically. They have become more aggressive towards people. As a result of deforestation and subsequent loss of their habitat, they came into contact with people more often, and they began to be purposefully destroyed until the last wolf was killed in 1905.
Giant penguin, 1852
These creatures were very similar to modern penguins. They swam well, accumulated fat for warmth, lived in large colonies and formed pairs for life. They had large curved beaks. Penguins could grow almost a meter tall and lived in the north Atlantic until the nineteenth century. People began to hunt them to stuff pillows with valuable feathers. Then they were caught to be used as bait for fishing, as well as for eating. When they became rare, museums and collectors wanted to collect stuffed animals, and so the penguins died out completely.
Turtles from Pinta Island, 2012
This subspecies of giant tortoises lived in the Galapagos. Turtles have been hunted since the nineteenth century, and in the fifties of the twentieth century, their habitat was destroyed. People tried to save the disappearing turtles, but by 1971 only one male remained, who was nicknamed Lonesome George. Despite attempts to cross him with representatives of other species, no eggs appeared, and he himself died in 2012. He was the last of his kind.
Steller's sea cow, 1768
They were huge herbivorous marine mammals similar to seals. They were distinguished by giant sizes: they could reach nine meters in length. They were discovered by Georg Wilhelm Steller, but thirty years after the discovery they were already completely destroyed. This is because these animals were very calm and lived in shallow water. Their meat was eaten, the fat was used for food, and the skin was used for sheathing boats.
Smilodon, 10,000 BC
These saber-toothed cats lived in North and South America at the end of the Ice Age. They originated about two and a half million years ago. Large creatures could reach four hundred kilograms in weight, three meters in length and one and a half meters in shoulder span. Despite the fact that they were called tigers, they rather resembled bears. They had short and powerful legs, not designed for fast movement. The impressive incisors could reach thirty centimeters in length, but were fragile enough and were used to bite through the soft skin of the captured victim. Smilodons could open their mouths to one hundred and twenty degrees, but their bite was rather weak. Smilodons hunted large animals: bison, deer and small mammoths. It was difficult for them to catch smaller animals. The disappearance of smilodons is associated with the appearance in these regions of people who destroyed many species of animals.
Woolly mammoth, 2000 BC
Woolly mammoths lived in regions of the arctic tundra in the northern hemisphere. They could reach several meters in height and weighed six tons, as much as modern African elephants, although biologically they are closer to Asian ones. Unlike the latter, mammoths were covered with brown, black or red hair. In addition, they had short tails, which protected them from frostbite. Woolly mammoths had long tusks with which they fought. They were hunted by people, in addition, they used mammoth meat for food. However, it is most likely that these animals disappeared due to climate change at the end of the Ice Age. The retreat of the ice led to the disappearance of their habitat, and then the hunters completed what was happening. Most mammoths were already extinct ten thousand years ago, but small populations remained in remote regions for another six thousand years.
Moa, 1400
Moas were huge birds unable to fly. They lived in New Zealand. They could reach almost four meters in height and weighed two hundred and thirty kilograms. Despite the incredible growth, the structure of the spine of birds suggests that most of the time they stretched their necks forward. Thanks to such a neck, they most likely produced low vibrating sounds. Moas were hunted by other birds, as well as representatives of the Maori tribe. In less than a hundred years after the discovery, people completely destroyed these birds.
Tasmanian tiger, 1936
The Tasmanian tiger was the largest marsupial predator of our era, appearing four million years ago. They died out in the thirties of the last century due to the fault of farmers who destroyed them due to the fact that the animals allegedly killed sheep and chickens. In addition, agriculture has reduced their habitat, and the spread of dogs has led to the emergence of various diseases. Amazing creatures lived in Tasmania, Australia and New Guinea, they could reach almost two meters in length from head to tail. Tasmanian tigers were at the top of the food chain and hunted kangaroos, possums and birds at night. Their jaws could open one hundred and twenty degrees, and their stomachs stretched out for a huge amount of food, which allowed them to survive in sparsely populated regions. These were extremely unusual marsupials, since both females and males had a pouch. The latter used it to protect their genitals while running in the grass.
Worth remembering
Many amazing creatures, such as Javan and Caspian tigers or cave lions, were not included in this list. Of course, dodos also deserve mention. It is a tragic fact that the activities of mankind have led to the disappearance of so many beautiful animals. It's terrible that this continues to this day. Everyone knows the price of hunting, but people continue to destroy animals. One can only hope that the list will not be replenished soon with many other varieties of animals.
Reading time approximately: 4 - 6 minutesMankind has been developing for tens of thousands of years, adjusting the environment to suit its needs. And only in recent years have we begun to think about how detrimentally this very development is reflected in nature. We have Red Books, the fight against poachers has intensified, nature reserves have opened, but animals continue to die out, and the main reason for this is still.
Why are animals dying?
The disappearance of old species and the emergence of new ones is a completely natural process on Earth. For hundreds of thousands of years, extinction occurred for various reasons, and not so long ago, man was added to these reasons. But first things first.
All previous periods of extinctions were associated with climate change, the movement of tectonic plates, volcanic activity, collision with celestial bodies, etc. The current (rapidly growing) extinction of animals began about 100,000 years ago- just in the period of human settlement on Earth. Our distant ancestors unknowingly invaded ecosystems and disrupted the ecological balance by hunting, destroying habitats and spreading disease.
But further more, about 10,000 years ago, we mastered agriculture and began to lead a sedentary lifestyle. By creating their settlements, a person changed the local ecosystem for himself, which no other species in history has allowed itself. Because of this, some animals simply died, others moved to new territories and, again, crowded out local species.
Habitat disturbance
For our own needs, we had to engage in deforestation, plow the land, drain swamps, create reservoirs - all this radically changed the habitat habitual for living organisms. Animals were deprived of their habitat, where they obtained food and multiplied.
Habitual habitats of animals become unsuitable largely due to. Pesticides, oil, phenols, metals, toxic and nuclear waste - all this infects the atmosphere, soil, oceans and, of course, negatively affects all the inhabitants of the Earth.
All life is interconnected and the extinction of animals of one species often provokes other extinctions. This phenomenon is called "cumulative effect".
Example. In Malaysia, they decided to radically get rid of malaria-carrying mosquitoes by resorting to the use of the pesticide DDT. Mosquitoes defeated - malaria is not terrible! But there were also cockroaches that were not exposed to DDT. Cockroaches were eaten by lizards, which were weakened by the pesticide. So lizards became easy prey for cats, which caused the death of the latter. As a result, the number of rats, carriers of diseases to match malaria, has increased dramatically in that region.
Excessive production
Today we use the animal world not only as a source of food, but also for the extraction of raw materials and many needs that are not vital.
For the production of medicines, perfumes, cosmetics and some industrial products, raw materials are needed, namely animal raw materials. Officially, endangered animals do not go to these needs, but the law is not written for poachers.
Poaching and animal smuggling are incredibly developed in all countries and cause irreparable damage to nature. That's what you knew smuggling of animals and plants can be compared with the smuggling of weapons and drugs? And, of course, we are not always talking about the illegal circulation of rare animals in a living form, but often about their valuable parts: bone, fur, etc.
A striking example of extinction due to over-prey is the Dodo bird, which we will talk about later.
Influence of Introduced Species
There is such a concept "introduction" is the intentional and unintentional migration of various animal species outside their habitats by humans. In other words, because of man, new species began to appear where they did not exist before and should not exist. At the same time, the introduced species, having no natural enemies in the new territory, begin to multiply and displace the local inhabitants.
The classic example is the introduction of rabbits to Australia. They were brought there from England for sport hunting. The local climate was to the liking of the rabbits, and local predators were not agile enough to hunt them. Therefore, the eared quickly bred and began to destroy entire pastures. Foxes were brought to Australia to exterminate them, but they began to hunt local marsupials, which only aggravated the situation. With grief in half, with the help of a special virus, they managed to get rid of rabbits.
Destruction to protect agricultural and commercial facilities
More than 20 species are threatened with extinction due to the fact that their representatives harm agriculture and fishing. These include birds of prey, rodents, pinnipeds, monkeys, etc.
What animals and birds have become extinct recently?
Over the last 500 years 844 species of animals and birds became extinct. Let's recall some of them.
Dodos (Dodo)
These flightless birds lived in the Mascarene Islands and in Mauritius. But the active colonization of these territories in the 17th century caused their rapid extinction. People not only hunted dodos endlessly, but also brought some predators (rats, cats, dogs), which also contributed.
The name "Dodo" (from Portuguese - "stupid"), these birds received from the sailors. The fact is that in their habitat they had no enemies and were trusting towards people. It was not particularly necessary to hunt the Dodos - they simply approached them and beat them on the head with a stick. And it was difficult for these birds to hide from danger, because. they could neither fly nor swim nor run fast.
The coat of arms of Mauritius depicts the Dodo
The largest representative of one of the subspecies of these birds reached 3.5 meters and weighed about 250 kg. They didn't have wings. Until the 16th century they lived in New Zealand, until they were completely exterminated by the natives.
parrot
This species was the only parrot that lived in North America. But it turned out to be unimportant and the Carolina parrot was exterminated, because damaged fields and fruit trees. They were last seen in the 1920s.
Another example, when creatures unable to hide simply died from human onslaught. They flew badly, or maybe they didn’t know how at all. That's why hunting it was not difficult for them. For 100 years after discovery, the species completely disappeared.
The last member of this species died in 1936. It was the largest marsupial carnivore, living mainly on the island of Tasmania. Destroyed by man damage to agriculture.
By the way, they tried to clone the Tasmanian tiger using the DNA of alcoholized puppies. But the project failed because DNA could not be extracted.
The only place where these tigers lived was the island of Bali. With the advent of firearms there, locals began to take an interest in these felines. hunters, and in 25 years destroyed the whole species.
At one time, representatives of this subspecies of the rhinoceros were distributed almost throughout Africa, but through the efforts poachers by the early 2000s, only a few individuals remained. In 2011, the last representative of this species was gone.
By the way, a number of scientists claim that about half of the currently existing species will disappear in 100 years.
In 2012, Lonely George died - the last representative of this species. These huge land tortoises were the inhabitants of the Galopogo Islands. Many of them lived to be 200 years old. Unfortunately, these turtles killed the neighborhood with people. Delicious meat and a chic shell - well, what hunter can resist this? It would seem that the ban on hunting was introduced in a timely manner, but the poachers do not care about the laws...
This unusual animal, resembling a hybrid of a zebra and a horse, was common in South Africa. They were trusting and friendly, so it was not difficult to tame the quagga. They were exterminated because of the tasty meat and valuable skins. The last member of the species died in 1883.
Declared extinct in 1964. Lived in North America until he was fully exterminated by local farmers, because attacked livestock.
Be sure to watch the video, which tells about some more extinct animals due to our fault:
Endangered Animals
Marsupials living in the eucalyptus forests of Australia. Actually, on the crowns of these trees, koalas spend most of their lives. In the 18th and 19th centuries they began to be killed because of the valuable thick fur. Millions of skins were exported per year. Fortunately, the Australian government stopped this madness in time, first limiting and then completely banning koala hunting.
Today, the population of these "cubs" is gradually recovering, but there is still a risk of extinction of the entire species. This is caused by forest fires, deforestation and disease.
Ivory is highly valued all over the world, and poachers, of course, know about it. They are doing business with might and main, despite international prohibitions.
Annually Elephant population drops by 30,000. And for what? For the production of jewelry and other useless gizmos?!
Several centuries ago, cheetahs were common in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Today it is a representative of a purely African fauna. At the same time, single individuals are found mainly in protected areas. Local farmers see them only as pests that prey on livestock. Yes and poachers are interested in extracting cheetah skins.
Today, no more than 12 thousand individuals remain in the world, while 100 years ago there were about 100,000 (!).
Found in the grassy plains between Kenya and Somalia, this species of antelope suffers greatly from disease, predators and, of course, humans. We are gradually destroying the habitat of these animals, hunting them down and depriving them of food by grazing herds of livestock.
Today the number of chirol does not exceed 1000 individuals. However, they are not kept in zoos and are not placed in nature reserves.
In nature, these monkeys are the closest relatives of humans. But this does not prevent us from cutting down the forests where they live, and keep hunting for them.
Today, the orangutan's range is limited to Borneo and Sumatra. Their total number is about 70 thousand, which is several times less than in the middle of the last century.
The orangutan is the most intelligent creature on Earth after humans, and in 10 years it may completely disappear if the rate of extinction continues.
Outwardly, this animal resembles a large fluffy cat. True, by nature he is quite ferocious and it is very difficult to tame a manul. It is on the verge of extinction because of its valuable fur.
Today it is the largest lizard in the world. Individual representatives of the species reach 2 meters in length.
Their disappearance is associated with tourism, settlement of territories and the destruction of their usual food.
These marine animals are found off the northern shores of the Pacific Ocean. In the 18-19 centuries, sea otters began to be massively exterminated because of valuable fur. Fortunately, the lawlessness was stopped by international efforts, and hunting for them was almost universally prohibited.
Today, the population of sea otters is 88 thousand. However, its growth is not observed. The reason for this is a number of environmental problems associated with ocean pollution.
It is the largest land predator. In total, there are about 25 thousand of them on the planet. In recent decades, despite the attacks of poachers, the population of polar bears has been relatively stable.
However, scientists are sounding the alarm, predicting the complete extinction of this species between 2050 and 2100. Reason - global warming, due to which the arctic . And without them, polar bears cannot fully hunt.
By the way, the polar bear is the only predator that hunts down and hunts a person as if it were ordinary prey.
What is being done to protect animals from extinction
First of all, hunting for certain species is regulated by law, both at the international and state levels. We have such a document Federal Law "On the Animal World".
The Red Book is used to account for endangered animals. It is available in every country and also has an international version.
It should be mentioned that depending on the risk of extinction, certain species may have different conservation status proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
- Extinct. This includes completely extinct species (EX) and those that are no longer found in the wild - only in captivity (EW).
- Endangered. This category includes animals that in a few generations may completely disappear from the wild (CR), endangered (EN) and vulnerable species (VU).
- The risk is low. These are species dependent on conservation efforts (CD), near threatened (NT) and those of least concern (LC).
Animals with status "Disappeared in the Wild" (EW) are one example of human efforts to conserve endangered species. Such animals can only be found in an artificially created environment, which are various zoological institutions. Unfortunately, several of these species have already been put to rest, because their representatives cannot give offspring and simply live out their last days.
Reserves and sanctuaries are one of the most effective ways to save endangered animals. There are about 150 nature reserves in our country. In such areas, hunting, cutting down trees, and sometimes the presence of a person is prohibited.
In addition, there are also such animals, the threat of extinction of which is simply not assessed for one reason or another. All of these criteria are applied in the IUCN Red List.
A biological species is officially considered extinct when its last representative dies out. There is also a concept functional extinction- all remaining individuals can no longer breed, for example, due to age or health.
Who was saved from extinction?
Once distributed throughout North America, today it is the rarest bird species. Their number does not exceed 150 individuals.
The condor was a prestigious prey for hunters. It got to the point that in 1987 only 27 representatives of this species remained. Fortunately, they managed to be placed in reserves, where they began to multiply rapidly.
The rarest type of wolf. They lived in the southeastern United States. They were exterminated mainly by farmers, dissatisfied with the fact that red wolves attacked livestock and birds.
At the time of 1967, 14 representatives of the species remained in the world. They were placed in captivity, and today the number of red wolves is 100 individuals.
Back in the 17th century, saigas were one of the most common species in Eurasia, but because of humans, their range has narrowed to relatively small steppe regions of the Southern Volga region, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.
Because of uncontrolled hunting saigas were nearly extinct by the early 19th century. But thanks to timely protective measures, the population was restored and permission to hunt them again appeared. Their numbers again drastically reduced to a critical state.
Today, there are about 50,000 saigas left in the world. The complex of measures for the conservation of the species includes the strict suppression of poaching and ensuring the safety of the protected area.
The reason for the decline in the number of pandas was mainly the destruction of their habitat, when China's forests were cut down for human settlements and arable land.
Today, areas inhabited by pandas are under strict control and are protected areas. Poaching is punishable by death. However, despite good living conditions, the panda population is slowly recovering. Today there are about 500 individuals.
The reasons for its decline are poaching, destruction of natural habitats and undermining the food supply.
Today, about 550 Amur tigers live in the protected areas of the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. Their resettlement is planned in those places where they were exterminated - this will significantly increase the population.
These animals do not exceed the size of an ordinary cat. They were well distributed on the islands near California until all the sea eagles were exterminated there in the early 90s. For foxes, these birds did not pose a danger, and hunted only for fish. The place of the eagles was soon taken golden eagles, who no longer hesitated to hunt foxes, and quickly destroyed almost the entire population.
The remaining foxes were raised in captivity until the golden eagle problem was solved. Today, the population has been restored and is 3 thousand individuals.
This is the last representative of wild bulls in Europe. In the wild it completely destroyed by the hunters. Fortunately, these animals were still kept in many zoos.
Thanks to the efforts of scientists, bison have now returned to the wild. Their total number is close to 4 thousand individuals.
Conclusion
Despite all the efforts of conservationists, almost a third of biological species are under the threat of extinction. In many ways, this happened because we realized it too late. Official bans today are ignored by poachers who, for the sake of profit, will not hesitate to kill the last elephant or tiger. Much of the blame lies with the final consumers of the “goods” supplied by poachers, who are crazy about possessing the skulls of rare animals, wearing valuable fur coats, or rubbing “healing” fats into their skin.
Sturgeons, which appeared more than 250 million years ago, managed to outlive the dinosaurs, although they were clearly inferior in strength to the largest creatures in the world. But today, one of the oldest fish on the planet is on the verge of extinction - 5 out of 6 sturgeon species in Ukraine are endangered.
The situation is so critical that on May 24, a large-scale Animal Planet campaign, together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Happy Paw Ukrainian charitable foundation, “Sturgeon Calls for Help” was launched in Ukraine to attract public attention to this problem. By common efforts, it is possible to save sturgeons from the fate of a dozen other animals that have disappeared without a trace over the past hundred years.
Three types of tigers
In the 20th century, three species of tigers disappeared at once. Javanese was one of the smallest subspecies - males weighed no more than 140 kg, and females - up to 115 kg, while, for comparison, their Amur relatives reach an average of 250 kg. But no matter how small the skin of a tiger, it is still of great value, therefore, due to poaching, by the 1950s, the population was reduced to 25 individuals, and in the mid-1980s, the last Javan tiger died.
According to one theory, the Javan and Bali tigers were the same species, but after the Ice Age they became isolated on two neighboring islands. The appearance of the Balinese predators also speaks in favor of this theory - they were also one of the smallest representatives of the species. The first tiger was killed in 1911, the animals were officially recognized as extinct already in 1937 - it took only 26 years to completely exterminate the subspecies.
The Caspian (Turanian, Transcaucasian) tiger, which lived in Central Asia, Iran and the Caucasus, was much larger and more massive than both the Balinese and Javanese subspecies, but this did not save him from the same fate. During the industrial development of Central Asia, this predator was completely destroyed. For this purpose, even entire battalions were organized, and by 1954 not a single individual remained.
Source: wikipedia.org
Two types of rhinos
The twenty-first century turned out to be the last for the two subspecies of rhinos. The black rhinoceros of West Africa, which lived mainly in Cameroon, completely disappeared in 2011. In 1930, he was taken under special protection, but such protective measures for poachers did not become a stop signal. The horns of these animals are too highly valued on the black market due to their healing properties, a myth and misconception that does not have any scientific evidence. Wealthy Arabs ordered dagger handles made of rhinoceros horn - this was considered a sign of wealth. Therefore, the extermination of animals has reached incredible proportions, especially in the 1970s. Considering that pregnancy in females lasts 16 months and only one cub is born, the population simply did not have time to recover. In the same 2011, the Vietnamese rhino, a subspecies of the Javanese, was officially recognized as extinct, living in Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia) and also becoming a victim of poaching.
Source: wikipedia.org
marsupial wolf
The most famous marsupials are kangaroos and koalas, some may have heard of wombats and opossums. If it were not for the aggressive intervention of man, unique marsupial predators would exist today in nature - the Tasmanian wolf, or thylacine. Their historical habitat is mainland Australia and New Zealand, later they were forced out from there by the introduced dingo dogs. Thylacines settled on the island of Tasmania, but even there the predators were not allowed to live in peace: in the early 30s of the 19th century, mass trapping and shooting of these animals began because of their alleged ferocity and bloodthirstiness, as well as because of the harm that they caused to sheep herds. Later, after the last individual died in 1936, scientists found that the jaws of the Tasmanian wolves were poorly developed, so they could not physically hunt sheep. In this regard, a reward of 1.25 million Australian dollars was awarded in 2005 for the capture of a live marsupial wolf, but over the past 12 years, there has been no evidence that thylacines miraculously survived in the dense forests of the island.
Source: wikipedia.org
Taiwan Clouded Leopard
The Taiwan clouded leopard is endemic to Taiwan (a species that lives exclusively on this island), an incredibly beautiful animal that looks like an ocelot, only larger. The unusual coloration made the skins of these predators a desirable trophy for the inhabitants of local tribes - such clothes emphasized their high social status. Moreover, killing a smoky one was considered a feat, and the hunter himself, who returned with valuable prey, was called a hero. Since everyone wants to become a hero and win the respect of society, the Taiwan clouded leopards were completely exterminated. After 1983, despite all the tricks and night vision cameras, scientists have not been able to detect a single individual.
Source: wikipedia.org
Chinese river dolphin
Dolphins are called one of the smartest creatures on the planet, and they regularly confirm this title. In ancient China, dolphins were revered as river deities and hunting them was taboo. When the first individual was officially discovered in 1918 in the freshwater lake Dongtinghu of China, it was possible to predict that the history of these mammals was coming to an end. Massive poaching in a matter of decades reduced the population to a critical level and, in addition, forced the animals to change their habitat and populate areas unsuitable for habitation (for example, near a hydroelectric power station). As a result, already in 2007, the commission officially declared the Chinese river dolphins extinct.
It was the largest marsupial carnivore of our time (it was about 60 cm high and about 180 cm long with the tail). Thylacines once lived in mainland Australia and New Guinea, but as a result of human activities, they were already almost extinct there by the time of colonization by Europeans. However, they remained in Tasmania, where they were called Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves. The last thylacine in the wild was killed in 1930. And in captivity, the last Thylacine, which is shown in the photo, died in 1936.
Unknown photographer, 1933 However, as early as the 1960s, people were hoping that Thylacines might still be around somewhere, and until the 1980s they were not officially considered completely extinct. And so far, however, isolated reports of sightings of the surface in Tasmania and New Guinea.
Quagga
Unknown photographer, 1870s The quagga in the photo is the only animal of this subspecies that has ever been photographed. This female specimen was photographed at the London Zoo. The quagga is a subspecies of the plains zebra that lived in large numbers in the wild in South Africa. However, the quagga has been extirpated for meat, hides, and for the purpose of preserving pet food. The last wild Quagga was shot in the 1870s, and in captivity the last individual died in August 1883. Interestingly, Quagga was the first extinct animal whose DNA was studied in detail. Before that, it was believed that this animal was a completely separate species, and not a subspecies of zebras.
mexican grizzly bear
wikimedia commons/ author: Mills, Enos Abijah, 1870-1922 date: 1919 Grizzly can live not only in the climate of North America or Canada. Previously, the grizzly also lived in Mexico. This animal belonged to the subspecies of the brown bear. The Mexican grizzly was a very large bear with small ears and a high forehead. It was finally exterminated by ranchers in the 60s of the last century, as it was a danger to their livestock. By 1960, only 30 individuals remained, but by 1964, the Mexican grizzly was already considered extinct.
Tarpan
Author: Scherer, Moscow Zoo, May 29, 1884 Tarpan, or Eurasian Wild Horse, lived in the steppes of a number of European countries, in the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia and on the territory of Western Kazakhstan. The height at the withers of Tarpan reached 136 cm with a body length of about 150 cm. Tarpans had a standing mane and thick wavy hair, which in summer was black-brown, yellow-brown or dirty yellow, and in winter it became lighter with a dark stripe along the back. They had dark legs, a mane and tail, and strong hooves that did not require horseshoes.
The last forest Tarpan was killed on the territory of the modern Kaliningrad region in 1814. In 1879, the last steppe tarpan in nature was killed in the steppe in the Kherson region of Ukraine. The last Tarpan who lived in captivity died in 1918. The photo was taken at the Moscow Zoo in 1884 and is claimed to be the only photo of a living Tarpan. However, there are disputes about the photo: is it really a purebred Tarpan or is it a cross between a Tarpan and a domestic horse.
barbary lion
Author: Sir Alfred Edward Pease, 1893 Previously, the Barbary lion (also known as the Atlas or Nubian lion) lived in the territory from Morocco to Egypt. This lion was the largest and heaviest among the lion subspecies. He was distinguished by a particularly thick dark mane, which went far beyond his shoulders and hung down on his stomach. The last wild Barbary lion was shot in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in 1922. Nevertheless, descendants of Barbary lions live in captivity, however, most likely they are not purebred and have admixtures of other subspecies. Historical note: The lions used in gladiator fights during Roman times were most likely Barbary. The photo was taken in 1893 in Algiers.
Bali tiger
Author: Oskar Voynich, 1913 Unfortunately, the photo is not clear, it was taken in 1913. The Bali tiger is one of the smallest tigers that has ever lived. The Bali tigers had short, bright orange fur and were about the size of leopards or mountain lions.
The last confirmed case of this tiger being killed was in September 1937. But until the 1940s or 1950s, it was suspected that there were still a small number of individuals left on the island. The Bali tigers became extinct due to loss of habitat and because of the fashionable passion for hunting among Europeans.
Caspian tiger
Unknown photographer, 1895 The Caspian tiger inhabited vast territories along river corridors in sparse forests to the west and south of the Caspian Sea. Its habitat ranged from Turkey and Iran through Central Asia to the Takla Makan Desert, Xinjiang, China. The Caspian tiger, like the Siberian and Bengal subspecies of the tiger, was the largest feline that ever existed. The population of this subspecies began to decline sharply in the 1920s, which was associated with hunting for them, a reduction in habitat, and a decrease in the amount of food. The last such tiger was killed in February 1970 in the Turkish province of Hakkari. — See more at: Deciphering the DNA of the Caspian tiger showed that it is very close to the Amur tiger and this makes it possible to restore its population.
Black Cameroonian rhinoceros
flickr/Martijn.Munneke, 2011/CC BY 2.0 The Cameroon black rhino, which is a subspecies of the black rhino, was very common in the sub-Saharan savanna until recently. However, despite all the efforts made to protect these animals, poaching has led to their complete extinction. Their horns, as many believed, had medicinal value, which was partly due to their extermination. However, this assumption has no scientific basis.
The black Cameroonian rhinoceros was last seen in 2006, after which it was not seen again, in connection with which it was officially declared extinct in 2011.
golden toad
Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servic no later than May 15, 1989/public domain The golden toad has become a very revealing example of how human activity leads to the destruction of living beings. This small bright orange toad was first described only in 1966, when it lived in large numbers in an area of 30 square miles, near the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. For a long time, the ideal temperature and humidity for its existence was maintained in its habitat, but human activity has changed the usual environmental parameters, which led to the disappearance of this animal. Since May 15, 1989, not a single individual has been seen.
Pinta Island tortoise (Abingdon elephant tortoise)
flickr/putneymark, August 16, 2007/CC BY-SA 2.0 Turtles of Pinta Island (or in another way Abingdon) belong to the subspecies of the Elephant turtle. This is the largest animal of those that have become extinct in the most recent time. Lonesome George, who was over 100 years old (pictured), was the last of the species and died on June 24, 2012 from heart failure.
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Number of pets and people vs wild animals. Diagram
Endangered species of animals and plants. Statistics and Trends